Lyle, Sandy Feb 09, 1958 Sandy Lyle For a destination like the World Golf Hall of Fame, a glittering resume is a must. But resumes can’t tell the full story of a player’s impact. This is especially true in the case of Alexander Walter Barr Lyle, known to the golfing world as Sandy. While his resume shines with victories at the Open Championship, THE PLAYERS Championship and the Masters Tournament, the historical significance of those wins and the affect Lyle had on his contemporaries is even more impressive. When author Robert Philip was helping Lyle write his autobiography, “To The Fairway Born,” Philip approached Seve Ballesteros about writing the forward to the book. When asked about just how great Lyle was at his peak, the Spanish legend replied, “The greatest God-given talent in history. If everyone in the world was playing their best, Sandy would win and I’d come second.” “But my name could be in the 'tumbler' to be drawn out. I don't know how it is decided. It is all down to the committee and what they want from their captain.” It’s the kind of compliment that transcends a resume.

And Ballesteros was qualified to give it, considering how often he and Lyle did battle on the course in the 1970s and 80s. Ballesteros and Lyle will be forever linked as leaders of a resurgence of European golf in the 1980s. After decades of Palmer, Nicklaus and Watson dominating on the world stage, Europe made a comeback led by Lyle, Ballesteros, Sir Nick Faldo, Bernhard Langer and Ian Woosnam. The press dubbed them the “Big Five.” It was apparent early on that Lyle would be a star. He was born in Shrewsbury, England, and spent his early years at Hawkstone Park Golf Club, following his father Alex who was the head pro. By the time Lyle won the 1975 English Amateur Stroke Play Championship at 17, he was considered a prodigy. He racked up several other amateur victories before turning pro in 1977. In 1979, Lyle broke through with his first three of what would be 18 European Tour victories. He cruised to the top of the Tour, winning the Order of Merit.

He proved it wasn’t a fluke when he kept that title in 1980. FACT Lyle has been appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). Lyle went from resume-builder to history-maker in 1985. But to fully grasp the events of that year, it’s important to go back to the Open Championship in 1969. That Open, held at Royal Lytham & St. Annes, was won by British star Tony Jacklin. At the 18th hole, Jacklin joyously tossed his ball into the gallery, where it was nearly caught by an 11-year-old Sandy Lyle. Sixteen years later at Royal St George’s in 1985, Jacklin remained the last Brit to win the nation’s most beloved golf event. Lyle started the day three shots back behind Langer and David Graham. But a wonderful rally on the back nine, including a 45-foot birdie putt on No. 14, carried him to a two-shot win over Payne Stewart. Britain was jubilant. The celebration continued at the 1985 Ryder Cup.

Going into the event, the United States was an incredible 21-3-1 against Great Britain. (Europe was added in 1979, to no avail. The U.S. Team won in 1979, 1981 and 1983.) But with the help of the newly minted Open champion, the Ryder Cup returned to Europe. Lyle pulled a similar double in 1987. This time, he became the first international player to capture another golf jewel, THE PLAYERS Championship. And he was once again part of the winning Ryder Cup side, as Great Britain and Europe’s first victory on U.S. soil turned that competition into a true rivalry. The momentum carried into 1988. No Briton had ever won the Masters, but in the final round, Lyle found himself on top of the leaderboard. A shaky back nine saw him fall into a tie with Mark Calcavecchia going into the difficult 18th hole. A par likely meant a playoff. Birdie would win it. Lyle hit 1-iron trying to play it safe, but carried it into the left fairway bunker.

With about 150 yards to the pin and the suffocating pressure of the Green Jacket hanging over his head, Lyle couldn’t see the flag, so he aimed at a cloud above the green. His 7-iron came clean out of the bunker, landed on a slope on the green and trickled to 8 feet. It was a shot for the ages. Lyle made the putt and forever etched himself into Augusta National and British sporting lore. It was the first time someone birdied No. 18 to win the Masters since Arnold Palmer in 1960. It would turn out to be the pinnacle of Lyle’s career. He would record just one more top-10 finish in a major and four more European Tour wins, the last of which coming in 1992. But at that point Lyle’s resume and, perhaps more importantly, his impact on the game, were secure. LYLE EDGES LEADERS TO WIN OPEN - NYTimes.com LYLE EDGES LEADERS TO WIN OPEN By GORDON S. WHITE JR.

Published: July 22, 1985 SANDWICH, England, July 21— Sandy Lyle, a 27-year-old Englishman born to Scottish parents, today became the first golfer from Britain to win the British Open in 16 years when he capitalized on a surprising collapse by leaders in a major tournament. Despite a bogey at the final hole that could have been worse following a poor chip shot, Lyle managed to edge Payne Stewart of the United States by a stroke for the oldest title in golf and the $90,870 winner's share. But Lyle and Stewart got their chance because neither David Graham nor Bernhard Langer, the third round co-leaders, played well on this last day at Royal St. George's Golf Club links. Lyle, a big golfer at 6 feet 1 inch and 195 pounds, had birdies on the difficult 14th and 15th holes to get the lead, and he kept it while others faltered. He finished with a par 70 for a winning total of two-over-par 282.

This is the first time since 1968, when Gary Player won at Carnoustie, that the British Open winner shot over par for the 72 holes. Stewart had one of the four lowest rounds of the final day with a two-under 68 to finish with 283. Graham and Langer Lose Lead Graham, from Australia, and Langer, from West Germany, started the day three strokes ahead of Lyle and three others. But they each had five-over 75's as they almost mirrored each other around the course with their mistakes. This put Graham and Langer in a five-way tie for third place at 284. Mark O'Meara of the United States, Christy O'Connor Jr. of Ireland and Joe Rivero of Spain, who shot one of those 68 rounds, also were at 284. This is the third of the year's four major tournaments. Curtis Strange had the Masters in hand with six holes to go and a three-stroke lead over Langer. But Strange blew it and Langer won. Then, at the United States Open, T.

C.Chen had a four-shot led over Andy North with 14 holes left and blew up, allowing North to win. Tony Jacklin of England was the last British golfer to earn this title when he won at Royal Lytham in 1969. ''I was sitting in the seats by the 18th hole when Tony won that day,'' Lyle said. ''I almost caught Tony's golf ball when he threw it into the stands after holing his final putt.'' ''I knew when Sandy birdied those two late holes that I had shot one too many,'' Stewart said. Kite Takes Lead Briefly Tom Kite had a chance at this British Open today. The Texan, who has come close a number of times but has never won a major yet, got a short-lived lead over Graham and Langer after those two had their third bogey each on the front nine. But Kite took a double-bogey 6 at the 10th hole and continued falling to a 72 and tied for eighth at 285. Stewart, the man from Missouri who wears knickers, almost salvaged something for the United States.

But this became the first time since 1974 - when Player, a South African, won at Royal Lytham - that an American golfer had not led a single round in the British Open. Lyle is a golfer who has not done well in occasional attempts on the American PGA Tour. This year he has only one finish in the top 15 in 17 tournaments. He has won a dozen times in six years on the European tour. ''It is an emotional thing for me and, of course, the greatest thing that ever happened to me,'' Lyle said. No Birdies at 18 Lyle finished ahead of Graham and Langer, each of whom needed a birdie at the strong 458-yard 18th to tie. But no one had birdied that hole into the wind all day, so the odds were against the last two players getting a 3. Each got a bogey there, although Langer came close to a birdie. He hit his second shot to the right of the 18th green. Then his chip third shot headed for the cup and brushed the stick and his ball rolled 12 feet by. ''Now I can celebrate,'' said Lyle.

Born in Shrewsbury, England, Sandy Lyle is the son of a golf club pro, Alex Lyle. The Lyles moved from their native Scotland to England three years before Sandy was born so his father could become a pro at the Hawkstone Park Club in Shropshire. He is still the club pro there. ''With Scottish parents and being born here, I have the best of both worlds, don't I?'' Lyle said. ''I have nothing but Scottish blood in my veins.'' Lyle and the other 61 golfers in the final round had the best playing conditions of the tournament: sun and wind but no rain. There had been rainy for spells during each of the first three rounds. Graham and Langer each bogeyed the first, fourth and fifth holes to get into a slide neither could stop. It wasn't until the most difficult holes on the course that Lyle appeared to have a real chance. Then, coming home into the wind, Lyle got a birdie 4 on the 508-yard 14th when a fine 2-iron third shot got him 40 feet from the pin but still off the green to the right.

Using his putter, Lyle sank the shot for a birdie. He followed this with a fine 6-iron into the par-4 15th hole, so he had a 12-foot putt he sank for birdie 3. This got his score to one over par. Because Graham bogeyed that hole a few minutes later to go to two over par, that was where Lyle got the lead. Lyle bogeyed the last hole when his approach went into the deep fringe grass and his chip did not get over the big rise in the green. He needed two putts to get down while Graham was taking a bogey at 16 to end his chances. Disturbance at 18 A man disrobed and ran across the 18th green just as Peter Jacobsen was about to make his final putt. Jacobsen tackled him and the police took him away. . . . Jacobsen, who finished four shots behind Lyle, had a quadruple-bogey 9 on the 14th hole of the first round.

photo of Bernhard Langer (AP) (page C7); photo of Sandy Lyle (AP) Sandy Lyle: 'I don't know whether there's ever been a better shot in a major' | The Independent Golf Sandy Lyle: 'I don't know whether there's ever been a better shot in a major' Brian Viner Interviews: On the 20th anniversary of one of golf's greatest victories, the first British winner of the Masters recalls the unforgettable shot from a fairway bunker on the final hole that changed his life and began a four-year domination of Augusta by his fellow countrymen Friday 28 March 2008 00:00 BST Click to follow Sandy Lyle: 'I don't know whether there's ever been a better shot in a major' 1/10 10/10 GETTY IMAGES The first day of this year's US Masters falls on 10 April, the 20th anniversary of one of the greatest shots in the history of major championship golf, a shot which effectively conferred on Alexander Walter Barr Lyle the distinction of becoming the first British winner of the Masters.

Those of us who weren't there will never forget it: Peter Alliss commentating for the BBC late on a Sunday night as Sandy Lyle, needing a birdie three at the last, rolled in the winning putt and, raising his hands in triumph, turned a pair of sweaty armpits into one of golf's most indelible images. As for the immaculate and seemingly nerveless seven-iron from the fairway bunker that had set up the birdie, I ask Lyle where he places it in the pantheon of great golf shots. It is a slightly challenging question, because he is the most modest and unassuming of men. Yet he does not hesitate. "I don't know that there's ever been a better shot in a major," he says. "I remember Tiger Woods, on the 18th at the Canadian Open a few years ago, hitting 185 yards from a bunker, over water, to a green about the size of this table. That was incredible." But this was the Masters, I say. "Yeah," he says, with a small smile.

"This was the Masters." Lyle has invited me for an early breakfast at his hotel in London, I presume because he has a busy schedule for the rest of the day, although it turns out that he has an entirely free morning and is only too happy to spend much of it nattering. Other sportsmen of my acquaintance would at least make a play of having important things to do, but he's not that kind of guy. Besides, he never gets tired, he says, of recounting the events of Sunday, 10 April, 1988. "After nine holes of the final round I had a two-shot lead, and I was feeling quite good going into Amen Corner. I got through 10 and hit a reasonable drive down 11, but I found some mud on the ball, some old Georgia clay, and couldn't get it on the green. I made bogey there, and then as I was going over to the 12th tee I saw that Bernhard Langer, who was in the group ahead of me, had hit an eight-iron. I saw his caddie put it back in the bag.

So that's what I hit, but it ended up in the water, and I took double-bogey. "I knew I hadn't blown it, because I was now tied with [Mark] Calcavecchia with two par-fives [the 13th and 15th] to come. But I only made par on 13, and par on 14, and by 15, which Calcavecchia had just birdied, I was one behind. "I hit a good drive, though 15 wasn't as demanding then as it is now. These days there's only a margin of about eight yards, whereas then there was acres of room, though you still needed two good shots to reach the green. I hit a five-iron through the back of the green, leaving a comfortable chip and putt, the way I'd been playing. My chip kissed the hole and went five feet past, and that's when the pressure got to me a bit. "I developed jelly hands, and left the putt short, which meant both par-fives gone without a birdie. By then I was just hoping to get into a play-off.

Then on 16 I went 15 feet past the hole with a seven-iron, but somehow holed the putt so it was game on again, level with Calcavecchia with two holes to play." On the 18th tee Lyle knew that a three would more than likely secure the Green Jacket. He hit a one-iron intending to lay up short of the bunker, but adrenalin helped it into the sand. "When I got there I knew I could get it out and I was playing with Crenshaw, who was semi-butchering the hole, so I had time to gather my thoughts. I had 145 [yards] to the front edge, 150-something to the pin, playing 160 uphill, so I knew that a seven-iron was the ideal club, and I'd never had a problem picking balls off tight lies. You've got to keep your balance as much as anything. "Anyway, I couldn't see the flag, so I lined up on a cloud at the back of the green, and as soon as I hit the ball I knew it was right in that air space.

The reaction from the crowd was a little bit subdued at first, so I thought it was maybe at the back of the green, then they started cheering, so I was expecting it to be two feet away. As it turned out it was about 18 feet, much longer than it looked on TV, but ... you know what happened next." Indeed. And as we all went to bed in the UK that night, thrilled with what we had seen, I suppose we must have imagined Lyle and his entourage whooping it up in the Deep South. Not so. "I had to do loads of TV stuff, then eat with the members of Augusta, which is the tradition, although I can't say I really wanted to be celebrating with the members. Eventually, I got back to my hotel, the Holiday Inn, expecting a raucous welcome. But everyone had buggered off. There were about five people dotted around the lobby, and none of them even knew who I was. My dad was there, but he was pretty well oiled by then, so I packed him off to bed, and went to bed myself. The party started the Monday afterwards, at Hilton Head.

The caddies had a house there, so I got a load of food in, took some of the press along, and we had a good old sing-song." A chuckle. "There was plenty of food flying around." Little though anyone knew it that rollicking night, Lyle's victory at Augusta was the start of a four-year annexation of the Masters by British golfers; after Lyle, Nick Faldo won in 1989 and 1990 and Ian Woosnam in 1991. This meant four years of British-themed food at the eve-of-tournament dinner for former champions, at which, traditionally, the previous year's winner decides the menu. Lyle, as proud of his Scottish roots as any man raised in Shropshire can be, subjected his fellow champions to haggis. "Everyone had it on the plate, and a lot of it stayed on the plate. Larry Mize was not at all sure about it, I remember. I think Vijay Singh probably gave us the best meal, nine courses of Thai food flown up from Atlanta.

Cheeseburger with a thick milk shake was Tiger's choice one year, washed down with a 1971 Chateau Mouton Rothschild. It's a great occasion. You look at Palmer, Nicklaus, Floyd, and know you're there on the same terms, because whether you won once or six times, you can only wear one Green Jacket. The late Sam Snead was always good value. He used to finish the night with a couple of the dirtiest jokes you can imagine." Lyle will be at the dinner as usual this year, and will exercise his right as a former champ to play. But he feels that, while the event is as special as it ever was, the hallowed course itself has been diminished in the bid to make it trickier. "They've taken away a lot of choices. There was always a little cherry dangling. For instance, on the first hole it was 265 over the bunker, so you looked at the wind, at the pin position, and decided whether to go for it. If it came off you got your reward. Now it's 320 to carry that bunker, and it's scary to watch one of the old champions, like Gary Player, teeing off.

There's this wonderful ball flight, then the ball comes down, plunk. He's got a 260-yard second shot and he can't even see the green. So I think they've spoilt the course a little bit and, although it doesn't necessarily play into the hands of the long hitters – [2007 champion] Zach Johnson isn't that long – it means that fewer guys can be competitive out there." Lyle stopped being consistently competitive years ago; in fact, his career plunged downhill in 1989 and never recovered. Yet his autobiography, To The Fairway Born, bears the following quote from Seve Ballesteros: "The greatest God-given talent in history. If everyone in the world was playing their best, Sandy would win and I'd come second." Citing that lavish testimonial, I venture that perhaps it was his prodigious natural talent that contained the seeds of his decline, that, as with Ballesteros himself, a more manufactured swing might have been more easily repaired? "Maybe," he says. "But in my case I think it was basic tiredness.

I had contracts with so many companies after winning the Open [in 1985] and then the Masters that I was pulled in too many different directions. In 1989 I missed four cuts in a row with what I thought was a mechanical fault in my swing, but I was probably just tired. David Leadbetter was doing wonders with Faldo, so I got him to help me, but that didn't work. Weeks turned into months, my confidence dropped further, and, although I had a few more wins, the bubble had burst." Still, having just turned 50, Lyle now has a chance of a second career on the US-based Champions Tour. "I've a lot of friends out there and I can make some good money," he says. "I missed out by a couple of years on the real big stuff, but there's a great pension fund available. One of the PGA tour guys said he'd have to explain it to us twice because we wouldn't believe it the first time. Basically, golf has the best pension fund of any sport, and it's all based on prize-money, which the tour matches and invests.

If a lad of 21 finishes second in his very first outing, he can play like a twit for the rest of his life and when he's 60 he'll have a pension fund worth $28m [£14], or something. With a shorter timescale, it's the same on the Seniors Tour." There is something so guileless about Lyle's excitement about the riches on offer in America that I'm positively delighted for him. I will be even more delighted if he bags the one golfing honour he now craves above all others. "I'd love to be Ryder Cup captain," he says. "All my old pals have done it. I'm the only one of the bunch who hasn't. So I hope I'll get the chance in 2010." His old pals do not, I fancy, include this year's captain, Faldo, who notoriously reported him, during the 1980 Kenyan Open, for taping his putter to stop the reflection of the sun. Lyle was disqualified. "I remember telling Brian Barnes, who'd had a few gin and tonics by then, and he threatened to sort him out for me.

The bad feeling lingered for many years." The irony was that Lyle had been brought up by his father, Alex, the pro at Hawkstone Park, to regard cheating with horror. In turn, he has emphasised respect for sporting rules to his own children. His son, Quintin, is tipped as a future rugby player for Scotland. "I don't know," Lyle says. "He's still only 13, but he's going to be big. We think he might be 6ft 7in, or so. He's a good lad. Not very strong academically, but good at sport and he's always got a smile on his face." He sounds like a chip off the old block. Fate & Lyle: Sandy's stats 2 Majors: 1985 Open and 1988 Masters 27 professional titles (17 on European tour, 5 PGA, 5 other) 9 Feb 1958 Born, Shrewsbury 1975 Won English Amateur Stroke Play Championship 1977 Turned pro 1979 First European Tour win.

Topped European Order of Merit, repeating feat in 1980 and 1985 1985 Won Open at Sandwich, first Briton to lift Claret Jug since Tony Jacklin in 1969. Helped win 1985 Ryder Cup 1986-89 Spent 167 weeks in top 10 of World Golf rankings 1988 Won Masters and World Match Play Championship More about: Remembering Sandy Lyle's victory in the 1988 Masters at Augusta | Sport | The Guardian That 1980s sports blog Remembering Sandy Lyle's victory in the 1988 Masters at Augusta Lyle fought off the American challenge to win his first Masters with one of the great shots of golf history Sandy Lyle hits a bunker shot on the 18th hole during the final round of the 1988 Masters.

Photograph: Brian Morgan/Getty Images Steven Pye for That 1980s Sports Blog, part of the Guardian Sport Network Thursday 4 April 2013 06.49 EDT First published on Thursday 4 April 2013 06.49 EDT Share on Messenger Close European golf was certainly in rude health during the 1980s, a fact reflected in one major tournament in particular: the US Masters. From Seve Ballesteros' victory in 1980 through to Nick Faldo's win in 1989, the green jacket sat on the shoulders of a European golfer five times, as the Augusta National became a home from home for the continent's finest players. By the time of the 1988 tournament, Ballesteros had won the Masters twice – and should and could have won again in 1986 and 1987 – and Bernhard Langer's first major in 1985 was the ideal start to a year in which Europe won back the Ryder Cup after a 28-year hiatus.

Despite this success, there was one thing was missing for British golf fans, namely a first winner from the home nations. Step forward Sandy Lyle. The formbook Lyle was in good form prior to arriving at Augusta, having beaten Ken Green in a play-off the Sunday before to win the Greater Greensboro Open in North Carolina. A course record of 63 during the second round set up Lyle's win, although he could be thankful that Green three-putted the last to force the play-off, allowing the Scot to birdie the first extra hole and take the £100,000 prize. Lyle's second US PGA tour win took him to the top of the US money list and gave him the perfect boost before his US Masters bid, even if the day exhausted him: "Winning in such a tension-packed day has drained me a little, but I feel ready for Augusta." At 18/1 he looked a decent bet for his second major, although all the usual suspects were gathered in the field to challenge for the coveted first major of the season.

Greg Norman was the tournament favourite at 7/1, hardly surprising as he had come so close in both 1986 and 1987, losing out to the inspiration of Jack Nicklaus in the former and the heartbreaking destiny of Larry Mize and that chip in the latter . Seve's recent record put him at 8/1, but the British duo of Ian Woosnam (33/1) and Nick Faldo (40/1) were not heavily fancied by the bookies. Woosnam's 1987 form had left him completely, with his switch to new clubs not paying dividends (take heed Rory McIlroy), as missed cuts at the recent Players' Championship and Greater Greensboro Open emphasised. Faldo had at least made the cut during Lyle's win the weekend before, but his form was such that he finished a massive 27 shots behind the winner, hardly suggesting that he was about to mount a serious push for the Masters. Tom Watson, Curtis Strange and Ben Crenshaw apart, the Americans did not seem to pose a great threat, highlighting the relative lack of strength in their ranks at the time.

The Thursday If Lyle needed an omen, he could have spotted it in one of the tournament starters, Sam Snead, who was the only man to pull off the Greater Greensboro/US Masters double in 1949. But as the first round got under way in windy conditions, the early running was made by reigning US PGA champion, Larry Nelson, and the unknown Robert Wrenn. Both men shot 69 (three under par) and held a two-stroke advantage over Lyle, Langer and Americans Mark Calcavecchia and Don Pooley, the only men on the course to break par on a testing Thursday. Lyle's round included five birdies and, as the rest of the field struggled in the wind, he was content with his work: "I've got to be fairly satisfied in those trying conditions." The other main contenders experienced varying fortunes: Norman shot a 77, but that paled into insignificance in comparison to Woosnam's debut Masters round of 81. The Welshman walked off the course immediately afterwards and asked to be left alone.

Ballesteros' 73 put him well in the mix, although a four-putt at the short 16th tarnished an otherwise impressive round. Crenshaw and Watson went round in level par 72, yet Strange (76), Mize (78), Ray Floyd (80) and Lee Trevino (81) were already struggling. A 75 by Faldo meant he sat in the top 30, along with Scotland's Ken Brown, who was enjoying a much better Masters debut than Woosnam. Paul Mayo, the current British amateur champion, shot an 81, faring a lot worse than the previous winner David Curry, who could be mightily proud of his 74. The Friday Fortunately for the players, Friday would bring much better weather, and generally the scoring was down as a result. Lyle made the most decisive move, his 67 containing six birdies, including a run of five threes in six holes on the front nine, as he reached the turn in 33 shots.

"I couldn't have asked for a better or more solid start," said Lyle, in a rather understated way, his 36-hole total of 138 giving him a two shot lead at the halfway point over Calcavecchia. Two shots further back was a very grumpy Fuzzy Zoeller, whose round of 66 was apparently not enough to please the 1979 champion. "It's like war out there. It's a joke - nobody's having any fun," moaned Zoeller, who went on to complain about "tricked-up greens" and bored spectators, obviously unaware that Lyle was probably having a whale of a time. Other Americans prospered in the more benign conditions during the second round: Fred Couples' 68 pushed him up to a share of fifth along with Watson (71), Chip Beck (70) and Langer (72). Craig Stadler matched Calcavecchia's 69, and was seven shots behind Lyle, alongside Ballesteros and Crenshaw.

Ray Floyd's 69 ensured he would be staying for the weekend, but for overnight leaders Nelson and Wrenn the day was not so cheerful; their rounds of 78 and 75 proving to be a sign of things to come for the pair. The cut-off mark fell at 151 (+7), which meant an early departure for Woosnam, Trevino, Curry and Mayo. Nicklaus, Faldo and Norman all made the weekend, yet their chances were slim, unless they could tear up the course in the next two days. Ken Brown scraped through right on the cut-off point, hoping for a solid weekend to push him into the top-24 and an automatic qualification spot for next year's event (his final round 78 ended any hopes of a return though). The Saturday For a period on the Saturday, all looked rosy for Lyle. He reached the 13th tee holding a four-shot lead over Calcavecchia, with an ideal chance to stretch his lead further on the very birdieable par five.

Not for the last time over the weekend, Lyle found the most inopportune moment to locate water, his tee shot ending up in a ditch, the resulting bogey almost feeling like a couple of dropped shots. Calcavecchia bogeyed 14, but his eagle at 15, coupled with another dropped shot at the 16th by Lyle, cut the lead down to just one and bringing with it a sense of unease to British golf fans watching the excellent BBC golf coverage at home. A Calcavecchia bogey at 17 restored Lyle's two-shot lead held from the previous day, both men eventually shooting 72 to stay at the head of the leaderboard. Calcavecchia may not have made up any ground on Lyle, but the rest of the pack were circling behind. Crenshaw's run of three birdies in the closing five holes in his round of 67 put him level with Calcavecchia, the 1984 champion handily placed for a charge on the Sunday. Couples, Zoeller and Langer were four shots off the pace, with Stadler, Ballesteros and Pooley a further shot adrift.

Even Ray Floyd had dragged himself back into the reckoning, his superb 68 meaning that even after his disastrous opening round of 80, the American was now within seven of Lyle, a not insurmountable deficit in a major, as we have learnt down the years. Despite the gathering menace, Lyle was remaining focused, his words prior to the final day extremely prophetic: "Sunday is the day. I've got to win it now. If I take a real kamikaze dive, I've got to try to slow things down and come out of it." How true. The Sunday Sunday April 10. A day indelibly etched into the mind of one Alexander Walter Barr Lyle, thankfully for the right reasons, but at certain stages during his round it looked as if the wheels were about to fall off in a spectacular way.

Everything was going so well; after ten holes of the final round, Lyle had stretched his lead over Calcavecchia and Stadler to three shots, but soon Watson's words of the previous evening were sounder wiser by the second: "If you don't feel that heavy pressure on the back nine, you're not human." Lyle was about to discover that back-nine feeling on the final day of a major, with Amen Corner - holes 11, 12 and 13 at Augusta - proving particularly savage. A bogey on 11 was just an appetiser to the perils of the short 12th hole. As Lyle's tee shot found water - and my dad uttered a few expletives in front of the television - the look on the face of Lyle told the full story. His double-bogey five spelt danger, as up ahead first Stadler made it a three-way tie at the top of the leaderboard, before Calcavecchia's birdie on the 13th gave him the outright lead for the first time on five under par.

Lyle's nightmare was unfolding in front of millions of distressed British golf viewers and with Langer and Pooley also moving to four under, the scene was set for a shootout between the leaders over the remaining holes. The next few hours were bad enough for me to try and sit through, trying with all my might to prevent myself chewing all of my finger nails off, so I'm not totally sure how Lyle, Calcavecchia, Stadler and the rest managed to survive the crushing pressure of the final few holes. Greg Norman had set the score to beat in the clubhouse, his storming final round of 64 coming a little too late to matter, although his three under total of 285 was at one point looking promising, as the on-course leaders were only three in front of the Great White Shark. The closing holes at Augusta have always been synonymous with drama and the conclusion of the 1988 Masters was yet another chapter in the rich history of the tournament.

The 15th and 16th holes in particular would be pivotal; Langer's chances were extinguished when he bogeyed 15 after his second shot found water and Pooley dropped shots at both 14 and 15 to fall from the pack. Stadler birdied 15 to join Calcavecchia on six under, but immediately gave the shot back after a poor tee shot at 16. Calcavecchia himself fluffed a chip at 15 and would have to make do with only a par, yet Lyle did not take advantage, his eagle chip shaving the hole on 15 and his birdie putt also slipping past. Crenshaw moved to within two of the lead at 15, to leave the leaderboard reading Calcavecchia -6, Lyle and Stadler -5, Crenshaw -4, with Couples also moving to -4 at hole 17. Lyle needed a moment of inspiration and it arrived at the par three 16th. His 7-iron - not for the last time in the tournament - was struck sweetly, as was his birdie putt that brought him level with Calcavecchia.

All of the leaders played par golf on the closing holes, Calcavecchia's total of 282 now the benchmark, meaning that Lyle stood on the last tee needing a par four to force a play-off or a birdie three to win the title outright. Unsurprisingly, Lyle erred on the side of caution, opting for a 1-iron for accuracy off of the tee, but perhaps understandably under the intense pressure, tugged his tee shot into a bunker. Holding his hands behind his head and looking visibly deflated, Lyle's hopes now rested on the lie of his ball in the sand. Fortunately lady luck was smiling upon him. On approaching his ball, Lyle must have been delighted with what he found. His ball was sitting up on the upslope of the bunker, and although the situation was not ideal, it could have been a lot worse. Reaching for his trusty 7-iron once more, the world looked on as Lyle addressed his ball for the shot that would arguably define his career. He needed a good contact, and my did he get one. Picking the ball off the sand perfectly, Lyle watched in anticipation, following the flight with intensity.

As the ball flew directly over the flag and landed twenty feet past the flag, BBC commentator Peter Alliss immediately assessed the situation perfectly : "That could spin. It could spin". He wasn't wrong; Lyle's ball began to check back towards the hole, the natural slope of the green and the inch perfect approach combining to bring the Masters title ever closer. Lyle had been slightly unsighted on playing his second shot due to the contours of the last hole at Augusta and on hearing the huge cheers of the galleries, later admitted to wishfully thinking that he might be only two-feet away. The reality however was that Lyle was now faced with a ten-foot putt to become Britain's first Masters champion. As soon as Lyle sent his ball on the way to the hole it never looked for a moment as if it was going to miss. Lyle immediately raised his arms to the air, beginning a jig of delight on the final green and embracing his caddie Dave Musgrove in the immediate aftermath of his triumph.

His winning birdie was the first time since Arnold Palmer in 1960 that a man had reached the last requiring a birdie to win and achieve this feat, an indication if any was needed of the prestigious company Lyle was now joining. The celebrations Lyle's father Alex had been with his son every step of the way, and was probably the proudest man at Augusta as Larry Mize presented Lyle with his green jacket. "I have always dreamed of winning here and now I have. What a moment. It's unbelievable. I feel simply great," an elated Lyle said in one of his many interviews after his second major win. He faced his struggles along the way, but contained enough mental strength in his locker to drag himself across the line. And who could ever forget that masterful bunker shot at 18 that ultimately proved the difference in the end? 'Yankee Doodle Sandy' trumpeted the Mirror headline, as British sports fans delighted in such an historic moment, which would turn out to be the first of four consecutive wins by a Brit at Augusta.

The year would continue to provide much joy for Lyle; he won the British Masters at Woburn and rounded off his year nicely by winning the World Matchplay at Wentworth, after being a losing finalist four times previously . Lyle, aged 30, appeared to have the golfing world in the palm of his hand during his marvellous year but such is the fickle nature of the sport that he would never scale such heights again. His form would dip so dramatically that he missed the cut while defending his Masters title in 1989, and failed to even make the Ryder Cup team that successfully retained the trophy at the Belfry. It would be churlish though to end this article on such a negative note. I for one will always be grateful for the fine memories Sandy provided during his stellar career, and the rollercoaster of emotions that he put us all through on that final Sunday at Augusta, complete with one of the most memorable shots and stunning final holes ever in major championship history.

Why Sandy Lyle took the brave decision to pull out of the Ryder Cup in 1989 | Sport | The Guardian That 1980s sports blog Why Sandy Lyle took the brave decision to pull out of the Ryder Cup in 1989 After winning his second major at the Masters in 1988, Lyle suffered a shocking run of form in 1989 and ended up asking to be dropped from the Europe team for the Ryder Cup Sandy Lyle in action at St Andrews in 1989.

Photograph: Phil Sheldon/Popperfoto/Getty Images That 1980s sports blog Why Sandy Lyle took the brave decision to pull out of the Ryder Cup in 1989 After winning his second major at the Masters in 1988, Lyle suffered a shocking run of form in 1989 and ended up asking to be dropped from the Europe team for the Ryder Cup Steven Pye for That 1980s Sports Blog, part of the Guardian Sport Network Thursday 18 September 2014 05.16 EDT Last modified on Monday 4 April 2016 10.39 EDT Share on Messenger Close The start of Sandy Lyle’s season on the US tour in 1989 continued where he left off the previous year. By February, two runners-up finishes and another in third place gave the impression that all was well with Lyle’s game and that he was set for another prosperous year on both sides of the Atlantic.

Whether he would repeat his marvellous feats of 1988 was questionable – after all, he had won the Greater Greensboro Open and the Masters , as well as the Dunhill Masters and World Matchplay in a never to be forgotten year – but the early signs were promising. Fast forward just six months and Lyle was unrecognisable from the man who had been ranked world No2 and sat third in the US PGA money list. Lyle’s game had dissolved completely, so much so that when Tony Jacklin offered him a place on Europe’s Ryder Cup team, Lyle had no other option but to turn it down. How did it come to that? Pinterest Sandy Lyle receiving the green jacket from the previous year’s champion, Larry Mize, at the 1988 Masters at Augusta. Photograph: Augusta National/Augusta National/Getty Images The first signs of trouble came at the Nestle Invitational played at Bay Hill in March. After a seven-over-par 78 in the first round, Lyle had a similarly poor day on the Friday. When he found water for the second day in a row at the final hole, something inside Lyle flipped.

Choosing to walk off the course before completing his round was the action of a troubled man. He was disqualified and fined $250 for his transgression. “I’d had enough. I was playing so badly,” Lyle admitted. It was an appropriately messy beginning to the rest of his year. Missing the cut at the Players Championship was not all that alarming – Lyle had done the same in 1988 and it didn’t affect his season – but a shoddy defence of his Masters crown was a big wake-up call to the viewing British television audiences. Rounds of 77 and 76 left him nine over par and meant that he was just the fourth defending champion to fail to make the cut at Augusta. In hindsight, Lyle presenting Nick Faldo with his first green jacket was almost like the baton of top British golfer being passed on for good. Before the Masters, Lyle had been very bullish about his hopes for the future. Time spent working on his swing with both his father and Tom Watson had encouraged Lyle so much that he said his aim was to win at least one major every season for the next 10 years.

Fighting talk, but as 1989 dragged on, Lyle’s main goal soon shifted to simply being able to play tournament golf at weekends. As spring moved to summer, Lyle’s form hit rock bottom. Speaking at the Memorial Tournament – played at Muirfield Village, the location of the 1987 Ryder Cup , which amazingly would be Lyle’s last – he spoke frankly about his problems, as he attempted to make the cut for the first time in six US tournaments: “If you told me earlier in the year that I would go through this type of run, I would have told you to stop joking.” He managed to stop the rot in Ohio, but it turned out to be a temporary stay of execution. Another weekend was reached at Wentworth, but rounds of 78 and 77 saw Lyle finish the PGA in last place after four rounds totalling 300 shots. His defence of the British Masters ended after just two rounds. Inevitably, at the demanding Oak Hill course, Lyle failed to get to the Saturday of the US Open, with rounds of 78 and 74 showing how badly he was struggling.

“I can’t believe that he can go from being the best golfer in the world to a four handicapper in such a short time,” said Lee Trevino, whose unsubtle comment was sadly accurate. The problem with golf – and I write from bitter experience – is that it is a sport where so much can go wrong. A fault with anything from your grip, address setup, wrist position, back swing, down swing, impact (and many others) can have a damaging effect upon a shot. And if you fail to solve any one of these issues, your confidence simply drains with every error. As soon as doubt creeps into your game, you are mentally fragile and the frustration can swamp you. Things were no different for Lyle. His game began to disintegrate slowly. Tee shots went astray. If he found the fairway, his approach shots would be wayward. His short game became erratic. And he began to experiment with his putting grip to fix his woes on the green. It’s little wonder that Simon Barnes wrote in the Times about the game of eternal frustration in relation to Lyle. There were the occasional rays of light, however.

After working with Faldo’s saviour David Leadbetter, Lyle shot a course record 64 at the Irish Open in the first round, eventually finishing in 15th place. He followed this up with a top 10-finish at the Scottish Open and a top-20 finish at the Dutch Open. And he played four rounds at The Open, even if he was a full 14 shots behind the three leaders . But after the sunshine came the rain for Lyle. An abysmal showing at the Benson and Hedges at Fulford showed that he had not turned a corner, but was back at square one. “My confidence is shot to pieces,” Lyle admitted, hardly surprising considering what he had been through. Throughout his agonies Lyle remained positive about his participation in the Ryder Cup, but soon he would be forced to make a brave and selfless decision that would force Tony Jacklin to change his plans. “I’m not worried about Sandy,” Jacklin said before Lyle’s troublesome first round at Fulford. “He’s going to give you four or five birdies and an eagle in every round.

I know what he can do.” Lyle had needed a captain’s pick from Jacklin in 1987, but this was due to his limited appearances in Europe. During 1989 it was a different situation completely, but Lyle, along with Bernhard Langer – who had been suffering putting difficulties once more – were nailed on certainties for two of Jacklin’s three picks. It was at the NEC World Series of Golf that Lyle made the call that would change the landscape of the 1989 Ryder Cup. Lyle informed the Europe captain that he simply wasn’t up to the task of performing in the event in a 20-minute phone conversation. Jacklin tried his best to persuade Lyle to change his mind, but without success. “It was my decision to pull out due to my slump over the past four to five months. My play has not been up to the standard for the Ryder Cup, not up to my own standards that I have always set myself”. Lyle’s frank admission was admirable under the circumstances, Jacklin commending him for what he called “the toughest decision he (Lyle) has ever had to make”.

Europe’s team was judged by some to be weaker for Lyle’s absence, yet if Lyle himself assessed that he wasn’t fit for purpose, then surely this argument was limited. Seve Ballesteros felt that Lyle had been slightly hasty with his decision, an opinion that seemed to gain merit as Lyle subsequently shot 70-69-72-69 in the European Masters and finished eighth at the European Open. Lyle’s muddled mindset was clear for all to see after the European Open, when he sounded rueful about his original actions: “I feel a lot healthier and should somebody break a leg or something, then I would be prepared to play in the Ryder Cup if Tony Jacklin wants me.” This didn’t happen, of course, but shows Lyle’s mental fragility at the time. Europe eventually retained the cup via a 14-14 draw at the Belfry. Whether Lyle’s presence would have swung the contest either way is unknown, but without Lyle’s actions the team would not have seen Christy O’Connor Jnr play the two iron of his lifetime .

Jacklin had asked O’Connor to give “one more good swing for Ireland” and the shot helped to secure a pivotal point for Europe. Lyle elected to represent Scotland in the Dunhill Cup, although he summed up his year when he let a four-shot lead slip through his fingers against England’s Mark James in the deciding match of the quarter-finals. Lyle then lost his World Matchplay title in his first match, losing on the 36th hole to Order of Merit-winner Ronan Rafferty, after he had led the Irishman by three holes with 12 left to play. His fourth-place finish in the Volvo Masters hinted at a brighter future, but Lyle’s poor showing in the Sun City Challenge in December rounded off his poor year. His fall from grace was as shocking as it was sad. From the dizzy heights of 1988 to his terrible torment of 1989, a year so bad that he had to decline a chance to play in the Ryder Cup. Lyle would never again aspire to the highs of 1988, although his work with David Leadbetter began to pay dividends eventually.

In 1991 Lyle ended his three-year drought by winning the BMW International Open, and 1992 saw him win both the Italian Open and Volvo Masters. But from 1993 onwards, only five years after his annus mirabilis and aged just 34, Lyle would not win another PGA tour event. Lyle’s name was mentioned in both 1991 and 1993 when it came to Ryder Cup selection, but each time captain Bernard Gallacher felt that he did not deserve a place in his final 12. So his refusal to play in 1989 was his last opportunity to represent Europe. Only Lyle knows if he regrets his call to Jacklin in August 1989, but for me his honesty should be respected. It can be hard for champions to admit to their weaknesses, but Lyle was a big enough man to put his hands up for the good of his team at the end of his season of utter frustration.

Question: Besides Sandy Lyle, which other European golfer won a first ever major in 1985?
Answer: Bernard Langer